


Harvest Moon

by ponchothor



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Drive-Ins, Established Relationship, Fluff, M/M, Marriage Proposal, Rebecca Banner Is the Best Mom, Slightly Bittersweet Beginning, Thor is sentimental and soft
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-06
Updated: 2018-08-06
Packaged: 2019-06-22 21:00:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,582
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15590628
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ponchothor/pseuds/ponchothor
Summary: The drive-in means a lot to Bruce. It's about to mean even more.





	Harvest Moon

**Author's Note:**

> Written For ThorBruce Week Day 5- Stars. (Sorry it's a day late!)
> 
>  
> 
> The drive-in here is real and actually near my home town. I grew up going to it and it has a very special place in my heart.

There are about 330 drive-ins left in the United States, and none in close proximity to New York. But that’s not a problem when your boyfriend has access to the bifrost, which is precisely how one date night in late August, Bruce found himself way out in the country in a small town smack in the middle of Illinois. The Harvest Moon drive-in was an echo of an era past, still boasting 1950’s signage, a snack booth in the center that was probably just as old, and even an antique carousel for the kids that dated back to the 1930s. The area between the two screens was lit with neon lights, but other than that the only light came from the moon and stars above. 

Bruce loved drive-ins. Most of his happy childhood memories were from the one just outside his hometown in Ohio. The nights his dad would work late and was expected to come home drunk, his mom would take the car and whisk him away to the drive-in. He remembered seeing the animated Robin Hood cuddled up against in mom’s side in the back of the car, a funnel cake split between them. Catching popcorn his mom threw into his mouth during intermission of A New Hope. That was the only Star Wars movie he saw for years. The memory hurt too much after. That was the last time he went to the drive-in, at 8 years old. The last happy memory with his mom he had to hold on to. Even now, 40 years later, it still hurt a bit. But it was now a bittersweet type of hurt, the warmth of his mother’s smile and the sound of her laugh mixed with the pang of knowing she was gone.

Bruce swore that if he ever went back to a drive-in, it had to be with someone truly special. Someone he wanted to spend eternity with, someone who he loved more than anything in the universe and who loved him the same in return. And on an morning in early August, sun seeping in through the window of their room, he realized that person was Thor. That person had been Thor, for a while now.

Thor knew about the drive-in. A few months into their relationship, when the characters on some trash TV show they were half-watching went to one and Bruce suddenly became quiet, it came up, and he was added to the list of exactly 4 people that knew of its significance to Bruce (the other 3 being Betty, Tony, and Val). So when Bruce suggested they go to one on their next date night, Thor knew it had to be special. Thor knew it meant the world.

He researched the best drive-ins in the US. He compared light pollution and similarity to Bruce’s own drive-in (which had closed now a decade back) and what was showing and how crowded each usually was. And that’s how he decided on Harvest Moon, 2 miles out from the nearest other building, strikingly similar to the photos of Bruce’s own that he found online, in a small enough crowd that this late in the season it shouldn’t be too crowded, and best of all, playing Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi as a double feature. He had help from Heimdall and Val finding a good drop point far out from attention but where the bifrost wouldn’t burn any crops and securing a 1950’s pickup to be close by the drive the rest of the way. Tony and Pepper helped him find blankets and pack a picnic basket of Bruce’s favorites. And on their next date night, Thor told Bruce to wear something comfortable and with layers, wrapped his arm around him, and summoned the bifrost with his ax to whisk them off to Illinois.

When they landed in an unplanted field in what was definitely somewhere in the midwest, Bruce was confused at first. But Thor led him to a vintage red pickup parked on the side of the road with Illinois plates and blankets folded up in the back, and Bruce started to understand. They had driven through backroads as the sun set for about 15 minutes, one of Thor’s hands resting on Bruce’s leg and the other on the wheel when Bruce saw the neon sign they were approaching, boasting the name “Harvest Moon Twin Drive-In” with “Star Wars ESB and ROTJ Double Feature” on the marquee below. He turned to Thor, a soft smile on his face and tears welling in his eyes to kiss Thor on the cheek, murmuring a small ‘thank you’ and holding his hand tight.

Thor pulled up to their window to buy their tickets, handing over exact change and driving off before the cashier could recognize either of them. He usually would have stopped to talk, but tonight was for him and Bruce and no one else. Tonight was special. He parked near the center in the front row of spaces, backing in so the truck bed was facing the screen. He and Bruce got out and Thor put down the tailgate before spreading the largest red-checked blanket over the truck bed and helping Bruce up. It was dark now but they still had 20 minutes before the movie started and Thor layed on the blanket next to Bruce, pulling him to his side.

“Thor- I- it’s perfect. And I can’t begin to explain how much this means to me. Thank you.” Bruce said, turning to face Thor with his head resting on Thor’s warm chest.

“Bruce, you deserve something truly special and I wanted to give it to you. I know… I know what the drive-in means to you. I know what your drive-in meant to you. So I found the one closest to what your old one was like, and I had our friends help me set it up because it had to be perfect, as perfect as possible, for you.”

Bruce leaned up to give Thor a deep kiss before laying back down, his head now angled onto Thor’s shoulder. They stared up at the stars in comfortable silence for a minute, before Bruce turned in to face Thor and speak.

“I know I don’t talk about my mom much, but she would have loved you, Thor. Everyone does, but I know she truly would have. You have the same brightness and optimistic outlook she had, even when things get as bad as you can imagine. You care so much and so deeply and put everyone before yourself. You’re brave, not afraid to stand up to those who harm others, willing to do anything to protect those you love. You’re everything she told me she wished I’d grow up to find and more. And I think she’s smiling right now, down from the stars above, happy that I decided to come back to our place. Happy I decided to share it with you.”

“Bruce, words can’t describe how happy I am right now. How happy you make me. You’re kind and gentle but so strong and brilliant and so beautiful, inside and out. You shine from within, whether you know it or not. Bruce, you’re my star in the night sky, the one that never fails to lead me home. Bruce Banner, I love you, and if you’d have me, I want to spend the rest of my life with you.” Thor rose to his knees as he struggled to find the ring box he had stashed in the utility box on the side of the truck bed, nearly falling over before finally pulling it out.

“Aren’t you supposed to be on one knee and I’m supposed to be standing?” Bruce laughed through the tears welling up in his eyes, smile wide.

“Oh yes! Just let me- uh, I can do it again?” Thor asked, looking up at Bruce.

“Nope. It was a mess but beautiful and kinda perfect for us. That’s the proposal I want to remember.”

“So you’re saying-”

“Yes, of course I want to marry you, you kind, beautiful, idiotic god.” Bruce pulled Thor back down to the blanket crashing their lips together in a long, deep kiss. 

Bruce pulled away briefly to look at Thor, eyes smiling. “I do want my ring though.” He laughed.

Thor chuckled, reaching over to grab the box and slide the simple band on Bruce’s finger before pressing a kiss to his hand.

“You know, I have ring for you too, back at home, but you beat me to it.”

“Can I still have it?”

“Of course you can. Nothing would make me happier than seeing my ring on your finger every day and knowing yours is on mine.”

They laid back for a while, pressed against each other with bruce’s head on Thor’s shoulder and Thor’s head angled to rest on Bruce’s, looking at the stars above.

“They’re so visible out here. So clear. I love Star Wars, but I really wouldn’t mind just laying like this and looking up at the stars forever.” Bruce said.

“I could do anything forever, as long as it’s with you.” Thor smiled. “But, you have popcorn to catch and I have two movies to try to understand. We can come out here again some time for that.” He leaned in to kiss Bruce.

They cuddled like that for the rest of the night, really only half paying attention to either movie as they were lost in each other instead.

**Author's Note:**

> come say hi on twitter @softhulk


End file.
